Beat

PORTLAND, Ore. –The LA Galaxy have arrived in Portland and the classic Pacific Northwest cold and rain was immediately there to greet them.

Below is a shot from my hotel room looking out at a gray and dreary downtown Portland. The Galaxy will need to grow accustom to the wet weather as the forecast for Sunday’s 12:30pm match against the Portland Timbers at JELD-WEN Field calls for highs in the high 50s with a 100 percent chance of precipitation as well as winds up to 24 MPH.

As for the Galaxy’s regular season record in the rain? The team is 1-3-1 in wet conditions since the start of the 2011 season. LA has played only one game in such inclement weather this season: their 1-0 defeat to the New York Red Bulls on May 19.

CARSON, Calif. – If the LA Galaxy are going to pick up three points on the road against the Portland Timbers at JELD-WEN Field on Sunday afternoon, LA must put the brakes on their midfield maestro Diego Valeri.

The Argentine is currently enjoying an MVP-type season as he is currently tied for the team lead in goals with eight and is leading the Timbers in assists with 12—two of which came against the Galaxy during Portland’s 2-1 win on July 13.

“He’s tricky and clever. He’s a smart player and he knows to find pockets, so if you fall asleep, he’ll punish you. He’s thinking two or three plays ahead,” said defender Todd Dunivant. “We have to be ready for him when he gets on the ball and put pressure on him. If he does get into space, we have to be aware of their runners going behind.”

As for Valeri’s status as an MVP, Galaxy forward Landon Donovan believes that Valeri is certainly among the contenders.

“I think that he’s been fantastic. Outside of Robbie Keane, he’s been the best player in the league this year. I think Robbie’s been the clear MVP, but I’d say that Diego is not too far behind,” said Donovan. “When he plays for them, he’s very good. I know that he’s still [to be determined] because he got hurt last week, so maybe he won’t play, but when he’s in their team, he makes a big difference.”

CARSON, Calif. – At last, the LA Galaxy may have Landon Donovan back on the field for Sunday’s vital Western Conference clash with the Portland Timbers.

Donovan has been suffering from a left ankle sprain since LA’s 2-2 draw on Sept. 14 against D.C. United, but Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena said that Donovan was “close” to suiting up in LA’s last two games against Seattle Sounders FC and C.S. Cartaginés. However he did admit there was a “strong possibility” that Donovan will be ready for the match against the Timbers.

The 31-year-old Galaxy forward returned to full training on Friday, but took a “we'll see” approach to his availability for the match against the Timbers.

“With any injury, you don’t know until you wake up each day and some days you wake up and feel great,” said Donovan, who admits that the turf at JELD-WEN Field will not enter into the training staff’s thinking when deciding his availability. “A few weeks back [against San Jose Earthquakes on Aug. 31] I had a [back] injury where I was told that I had zero chance that I was playing and I played 90 minutes. The Seattle game, I was more hopeful and I was told that I couldn’t play. Each day you wake up and you take it for what it is and then you move forward.”

If Donovan does suit up, the forward is well aware that the Galaxy will need three points on the road if they're going to solidify their playoff spot—and possibly make a run at the MLS Supporters’ Shield.

“We have five games left and realistically, if we want to vie for the Supporters Shield, we've got to win four out of five,” said Donovan.” Every game is crucial right now and we want to put our best team on the field every time.”

CARSON, Calif. – A nagging left hamstring strain has kept Robbie Rogers from suiting up for the LA Galaxy for the past month, but the 26-year-old is hopeful that he'll be able to return at some point in the next month.

Following training on Thursday—Rogers’ first full training session—Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena told reporters that the winger is “getting close” to returning, but there was no decision yet on whether he'd be able to appear in this weekend’s match against the Portland Timbers. When asked about his status, Rogers provided no timeline for his return, but was pleased with his first day on the field.

“I’m feeling good. Today was my first day back in training. I’m feeling really good, but I’m being careful because I tore it a few times,” Rogers told LA Galaxy Insider. “I'm just being patient, but I feel really good and my movements felt good today. I'm starting to feel more confident in my leg and it’s going to take another week or two, but at least I finished a whole day of training without any setbacks. We'll see how it reacts tomorrow.”

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica – It wasn’t always easy, but LA Galaxy Homegrown defender Oscar Sorto accomplished all of his goals in his first professional start for the team as he maintain a shutout victory in a 3-0 win over C.S. Cartaginés.

The 19-year-old made his first competitive appearance for the Galaxy in the CONCACAF Champions League win helping to lock down the right side of defense during the team’s 3-0 shutout. Stationed on the outside, Sorto was routinely at the right place at the right time and able to make timely clearances that helped silence a desperate Cartaginés attack.

“We knew what we had to do. We had to contain them after we scored and in the second half, we just had to defend, but we still got the win,” said Sorto. “My teammates helped me out by motivating me and helping me stay concentrated on the game.

Now the Homegrown defender has just a single goal: earn more playing time for the team’s first team in the near future.

“We were looking forward to advancing to the quarterfinals and our goal among the reserves was to win so that we’d get more games in CCL,” said Sorto. “We like playing too, so I think that all of are excited to play in El Salvador. Also hopefully, I can be a backup soon or get more playing time next season."

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica— Chandler Hoffman has been eagerly awaiting a chance to showcase his skills in a first team game and in his first start for the LA Galaxy, he did just that.

Hoffman scored his first professional goal in the 18th minute of LA’s 3-0 CONCACAF Champions League victory over C.S. Cartaginés on Wednesday. The win allowed the Galaxy to qualify for the tournament’s quarterfinals for the third consecutive year.

A prolific goal scorer at the college level with UCLA, Hoffman first professional goal mirrored many of those goals scored at Drake Stadium as he found himself unmarked far post and easily tapped in a Michael Stephens cross for the team’s second goal of the night.

“It was huge,” said Hoffman, who had only scored in reserve games and friendlies during his time with the Philadelphia Union prior to be traded to the Galaxy in March. “I’ve scored a ton in the reserve league and in the friendlies, so to make it translate to meaningful games is huge. I just want to keep this momentum going forward.”

His first goal and first start under his belt, Hoffman hopes that he’s worked into the conversation for more minutes as the Galaxy seek to qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs.

“Bruce told us tonight that we had a huge opportunity,” said Hoffman. “And I think that all of us who stepped on the field showed that we want to be playing as much as possible.”

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica -- The LA Galaxy needed just a point on the road against Cartaginés to qualify for the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals, but an explosive offensive display in the first half ensured all three.

Jack McBean, Chandler Hoffman and Laurent Courtois all scored in the opening 30 minutes as LA dominated the Costa Rican side en route to a 3-0 victory. McBean’s finish allowed him to tie Robbie Keane for the most goals by an LA player in the CCL while Hoffman’s goal was the first of his professional career.

LA wrap up the CONCACAF Champions League group stage on Oct. 24 when they take on Isidro Metapán in El Salvador. The match will determine where LA are seeded in the CCL quarterfinal stage.

Following the match, Arena was asked about Donovan’s status and what he was not in the game day roster despite traveling and he admitted that he was left off as Arena looks ahead to Sunday’s match against the Portland Timbers.

"Landon is just returning from injury," said Arena. "We didn't want to risk it for this game, but we're hopeful that he'll be ready for Sunday."

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica— LA Galaxy Homegrown defender Oscar Sorto will make his competitive first team debut for the club in Wednesday’s CONCACAF Champions League match against C.S. Cartaginés.

Sorto was included in the starting XI for LA’s vital CCL fixture by head coach Bruce Arena that will see him man the right side of defense behind midfielder Michael Stephens. With the defender limited to just reserve game and International Champions Cup appearances, Sorto is geared up to make his LA debut.

“Bruce has given me the opportunity to start and right now I’m just going to picture how the game is going to go and hopefully I can do well,” said Sorto. “We’re expecting them to press us a lot and we’re going to just try to keep the game close and not concede goals. If we get a chance, we want to score.

“It’s going to be a big role for me because we know what we have to do to move on to quarterfinals, so I’ll just be as concentrated as I can be. Hopefully, we get a result.”